These cream cheese dinner rolls (I call them honey cream dinner rolls), are little marvels. They’re fluffy and big and kind of dramatic but mostly, they’re really, really tasty. Now, I love a dinner roll however you want to give it to me. And a homemade one? Even better. But when you’ve incorporated a tons of cream cheese into the dough, you’ve got my full attention and them some. Because we all know that cream cheese makes everything better, and these rolls are no exception. Read on for some tips and tricks for these easy cream cheese dinner rolls, or just jump ahead to the recipe itself.

Dinner Rolls: Frequently Asked Questions

How to Properly Proof These Cream Cheese Dinner Rolls

Rising your dough is called “proofing,” and this happens in two distinct stages during the bread/roll making process. The first stage happens after you’ve mixed together your dough ingredients. This fermentation time varies a bit from one dough to the next, but the same concept apples. The yeast will “consume” the carbohydrates in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide gasses which, in turn, help the dough to rise. Furthermore, the dough gets stringer, bigger, and tastier during this time as well.

Proofing your dough properly is really important in nailing the final crumb and texture of the rolls. The best way to tell if your cream cheese dinner rolls are proofed enough (and not too much) is by looking for visible signs. If the dough has clearly doubled (or close) in size, then that’s a good sign.

The Poke Test

My favorite way to tell if dough is proofed properly, is to employ the “poke test.” To do this, just poke the surface of your dough gently with a finger.

• Under-proofed dough won’t keep the indentation, and will spring right back.
• Correctly/sufficiently proofed dough will hold a slight indentation, and slowly spring back a bit.
• Over-proofed dough will hold its indentation and not spring back at all.

This is an enriched dough (fortified with eggs, butter, AND cream cheese) so it will rise more slowly than leaner doughs would. This means we need to budget in more time for that first rise. I found that 90 minutes was perfect for these. Remember – the more enriched ingredients you add to the dough, the longer the rise will take. Just use the visual and tactical clues listed above and you’ll know when it’s ready to roll … literally.

How to Shape Your Cream Cheese Dinner Rolls

What’s better than a dinner roll? I mean honestly. I prefer a little fluffy roll baby over a big loaf o’ bread any day. But, that’s just me. The world of dinner rolls is vast and wide, as there are many different shapes one can apply to their rolls, and there are many different types of dough as well.

For this cream cheese dinner rolls recipe, we’re going to simply use the classic round shape. No muss, no fuss. But if you’re interesting in rolling a little further, and trying on some different shapes for size – then here’s a real quick guide to inspire you.

Think Beyond The Round Roll

I love a classic round roll, but there are so many more ways to make beautiful shapes with roll dough. Be sure to check out the newest episode of Bake it Up a Notch, where we show how to shape each of these shapes step-by-step! Here’s some of my favorite roll shapes:

• Cloverleaf Rolls: Also referred to as “split top” this style of roll employs two small, round pieces of dough or three, for a clover roll.
• Parker House: For this classic folded dinner rolls preparation, the dough is rolled into an ovular shape and folded over itself. Parker House rolls get the added bonus of a nice brush of melted butter before folding.
• Knotted rolls: Here, the dough is shaped into long strands, and then tied into knots.
• Braided rolls: The roll dough is portioned out and rolled into long strands. Then, these strands are woven into braided shapes.
• Crescent rolls: Just like croissants, a crescent roll can be made by rolling out your dough, slicing it into triangles, and then rolling them up into crescents.
• Pull-apart rolls: The prep for pull-apart breads can also be applied to rolls. These rolls are nice when baked in muffin tins, as the tins help preserve the shape. They’ll rise nice and big this way, without unraveling or falling apart.

What you’ll need for these enriched dinner rolls

This simple but very intentional collective of things combine into what I think is the tastiest dinner roll ever. Let’s be honest – what does cream cheese touch that it doesn’t improve? Buttercreams are sure better for it, as well as pound cakes, most dips, pasta sauces, and mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk (not hot/boiling milk) 
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, divided
• 4 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• Crunchy sea salt, for sprinkling

Also needed: aluminum foil (this helps to prevent the tops from over-browning)

How to make these cream cheese dinner rolls

This cream cheese dinner rolls are very easy to make. The method is mostly classic and straightforward, and let me tell you – I tested it time and time again to ensure it is the best version of itself that I can make it. I tweaked the amount of flour, and the type of flour. Next, I played with foil. I chaned up the type of yeast and the proofing time. In the end, I think I’ve landed on the most wonderful cream cheese dinner roll recipe to grace this internet, and our holiday tables will be all the more delicious for it. Cream cheese takes the flavor of a basic dinner roll over the top and into a land of utterly delicious decadence.

And let’s be honest – there is no room for “basic” on a holiday table. This is the time to go big or go home. It’s time to pull out all the stops and in the case of these dear little dinner rolls, that means pulling out all the cream cheese.

Trust me on this. These honey cream dinner rolls are THE rolls to grace your best tables and occasions. I make 10 of them per natch, because I love the big, fluffy drama of them. But you could shape 12 equal balls as well, and that size would be great. 16 cream cheese dinner rolls would also work great from this recipe. Just reduce the bake time a bit, as the smaller rolls wouldn’t need to go for as long. So, for 12 rolls, I’d bake them for about 26 to 27 minutes. For 16 rolls – I’d check them at 24 to 25 minutes.

DIRECTIONS

• Combine the yeast, ¼ cup of the warm milk, and the honey. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese so it’s nice and smooth/fluffy. Add the eggs, melted butter, remaining ¾ cup milk, and the salt. Mix until smooth. 
• After 5 minutes, add the yeast mixture and mix to incorporate. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour. Knead/mix the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. 
• Coat a large bowl with a little oil (or you can spray/butter it). Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough proof for 90 minutes in a warm-ish place (see note).
• When the dough has nearly doubled in size and springs back a pit when poked, it’s ready. Divide it into 10 even pieces (12 for slightly smaller rolls), and roll into smooth balls. Place the balls into a large baking dish and cover again with the towel. Let them rise for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and adjust your rack to the middle position. 
• Combine the remaining egg with 3 teaspoons of water and brush this all over the rolls (you won’t use it all). 
• Bake the rolls for about 30 minutes (for 10 rolls) or 25-26 minutes (for 12 rolls). For the first 10 minutes, they should bake with a loose piece of foil laid over top (prevents over-browning). Remove that and continue baking for about another 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Cool them until they’re easily handled, and serve warm and buttered, if you like. 

NOTE: To create an ideal warm environment for my bread doughs, I preheat my oven to 170 for just a few minutes, turn off the heat, and then I set the dough/bowl inside to proof. That quick blast of heat will help the dough proof nicely. Just don’t get the oven too hot!    

If you like the looks of these Honey Cream Dinner Rolls (cream cheese dinner rolls), you might also enjoy:

Best Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

Dreamsicle Rolls

The Best Homemade Naan

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